Sealed off winter games: The “closed loop” system explained

China has vowed to host a safe Winter Olympic Games. The 16-day sporting event from February 4, 2022, is the world’s second “pandemic Games” after the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021. It is being hosted as the world still battles surging Covid-19 cases, deaths and newer variants like Omicron. China is the last country to pursue a zero-Covid policy and has taken aggressive measures to control outbreaks. Games organisers are enforcing strict measures in a closed loop system, creating what’s meant to be a virus-free bubble that separates athletes and other participants from the community at large.